Or, As A Kind Of Parallel, Technically It Was The Water That Killed Him.

Or, as a kind of parallel, technically it was the water that killed him.

Technically it was the violin that killed him.

Maybe it isn't meant to be, but it is. That's not only a sad ending but a cliché one as well. There doesn't need to be a neat little bow put on it. They just need to be together. I'm so tired of stories that draw out the angst with the main couple. There are so many other ways to add drama without the same old boring on again/off again. And yes, having them part ways mutually is having them off again. For once, we should have a couple who figures out how to communicate effectively and compromise. Not to mention how ooc it would be for either of them to willingly leave each other yet again after everything they've been through.

It makes much more sense for both of them to take a break from pirating and figure out their relationship together. Then they can decide where to go from there. An after credits stinger teasing a coming threat for season 3 would be more than enough to create buzz. Marvel has showed us that time and time again. I'm done accepting the idea that gays have to be in pain to make yhe story interesting. It just isn't true.

If I were in charge of writing the s2 finale, here’s what I would do.

After Ed and Stede make up and work together to kill the clock asshole, I think Ed would admit to Stede that he doesn’t want this life anymore, that all he wants is a life of simplicity and domesticity.

I think Stede, upon hearing this, would offer to give up everything to stay with Ed and to build that life with him.

But Ed knows Stede, and he’s seen that pirating makes him happy, and he knows that the crew of the Revenge needs him, and that the life that Ed so desperately wants is the one that Stede ran away from, and I think Ed would reject Stede’s offer and say “No. Don’t give up now on my account, you go be the Gentleman Pirate, and when you’re ready, I’ll be here. I’ll wait for you.”

And Stede does, leaving Ed (with a tearful goodbye kiss, of course) with the promise to return. And they both get to live the lives they always wanted, and it’s not perfect but it’s enough for now, and they live knowing that they are loved.

That’s where I’d leave them.

Apart, but hopeful.

Never seen them before, but I blocked them after this. Implying I'm miserable and alone because I don't like the character they stan is just ridiculous.

Izzy trying to push half of the responsibility for Ed's Kraken heel turn onto Stede is honestly so annoying. He was healing just fine before you, his friend and righthand man, told him he'd be better off dead than being himself. Fuck outta here with that crap.

I really hope this is acknowledged one way or the other this season. I hope Ed tells Stede about that conversation and he knows that, while he did hurt Ed badly, Izzy's words are what pushed him over the edge. I'm all for Izzy redeeming himself, but not to Stede's detriment. If Izzy truly wants redemption, he needs to be honest with himself about his role in all this.

I want to talk about Stede Bonnet's very strange day. Let's look at the progression of just what Stede sees.

He spends the night with his boyfriend for the first time, and his boyfriend brings him breakfast in bed like Doug did for Mary. They talk about their reunion. Stede is very happy right now!

His boyfriend tells him that he envisioned him as a beautiful merperson and that he thinks he saved his life.

They get dressed, and they go out on a breakfast date on the town. Stede tells Ed about the letters he wrote, and Ed loved that!

Stede then discovers he has a fanclub! Ed laughs and is happy for him! They're going to go down to Jackie's so Stede can enjoy this some more!

Ed throws in some light banter/teasing about this turn of events, and Stede literally squeals before they run off giggling together.

They get to Jackie's, and Ed continues to encourage Stede!

Ed leaves him to it! "Enjoy the night" are his parting words.

So Stede enjoys the night!

He's being accepted! And he still talks about his boyfriend while being fawned over!

Everyone tells him he's awesome! He offs an assassin while saying something cool! No one is making fun of him!

After a bit, he goes to find Ed to share in his fun! He's had a great day.

Only, he's immediately met with this with no context: Ed regrets being with him! Ed is leaving immediately!

Remember: Ed's last words to him were "Enjoy the night!" This is complete emotional whiplash. Stede knows right away what the problem is, but Ed shuts it down.

Ed wants to be a fisherman! A proclamation completely out of the blue! Stede tries to talk him down. That fish wasn't so awesome that it should completely change Ed's life trajectory, casting Stede out of the way.

Ed disagrees and abandons Stede with no real explanation or listening to what Stede was trying to say, which isn't a great move for a healthy relationship.

Basically, Stede spent a few hours (only a few hours!) enjoying himself (in a manner that Ed encouraged him to!). He did nothing awful (because murder is cool in this show), and was a lot tamer than what Ed and company were doing in 1x8 (turtle vs crab is mean!).

I'm going to go more into Stede defense in another post. "Last night was a mistake" is an egregious phrasing to use with the man you love who has self esteem and trauma issues (we know what he means but it can be interpreted much worse), but Stede took it in stride. But for some reason people act like Stede committed war crimes with the fish comment? Ed sharing his day and Ed excising himself from Stede's life are different contexts and the fish is viewed differently in each lens. It was an OK fish, and Stede did nothing wrong. Stede is right that Ed is a coward, and I don't think Stede saying a few slightly harsh things in the heat of the moment when being blindsided like this is a character flaw.

Ed behaved appallingly in shutting down the conversation and refusing to even give context to what was going on. With 1x9&10 and Stede deciding Ed was better off without him, I saw plenty of comments about how Stede couldn't make a major life decision for Ed like that. With this, Ed has made a major life decision for Stede (I'm going to dump him and remove myself before he can choose piracy over me!), but I have yet to see the same comments, and I know exactly why that is.

...

More Stede defense!:

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Mel

After seeing some rather awful bad faith takes flying around after 2x7, I'm throwing out a beginning defense of Stede Bonnet (loml). It seem

I can smell the criticism of this finale from a mile away and can already see a few flooding in, and don’t get me wrong some are very valid (i.e. the pacing, because it was very fast like literally over in an instant and they managed those insanely tight pivots from one emotional beat to the next well given what they had but like… yeah it was too fast, I blame max)

but also straight up if I hear anyone else talking about how it was out of character for stede to stay with ed in the end I’m going to lose it!!!!

like NO, his character motivations did not completely disappear in that moment, because episode 7 was about showing how stede’s trauma leads him towards toxic masculinity, not how it’s his overarching goal!! I think maybe it would have made more sense to people if stede hadn’t been making those comments about his performance, like little jokey jokes of him lying about his contributions, seeking approval/praise, etc. but like… that’s not a sign that his shit behaviour from episode 7 still lingers in my opinion. it’s about how he still at the end of the day is just Some Dude who really wants acceptance in this community.

stede’s overarching goal going into piracy was community. he wanted to change things for the better and operate under a new work ethic. he wanted to build family, and though pirates have been able to do that under harsher, more traumatizing and ruthless circumstances, like izzy and ed, we see how the violent nature of their circumstances permeated their relationship for a long time and makes it very charged, perhaps not gaining true vulnerability and clarity until it’s too late. THAT WAS STEDE’S GOAL. he wanted to be a famous and celebrated pirate, yes, but he also wanted to change the game. he lost his way a little, but episode 7!stede was a phase.

because he came into it for fame and community, but he left knowing he’d helped his found family as much as he could, recognizing that zheng is a competent leader and that his teachings were going to carry on through his crew and on his ship. and he left for LOVE. that is the core of stede bonnet and I will never let all you grumpies and grouchies forget that.

On a positive note, this show got me busting out laughing at almost 4 am as Stede dramatically mourns a giant dude named Steak Knife who was taken down by a Vulcan neck pinch on steroids. RIP Steaky. You would have loved WWE Monday Night Raw.